gabe

Forgot about the leg of duck confit also in the cassoulet... now time to head to the fridge for those leftovers...

I had a very nice meal at Dark Horse last night (on 2nd between Pine and South in Philly). It's the former Dickens Inn, which I never visited in its former capacity. The dining room upstairs is venerable and woody, quite comforting and warm on a cold winter's night. Our window table overlooked Head House Square, and the effect would have been perfect if the snow had started then rather than this morning. We started with appetizers of cajun-spiced fried calamari ($9) and escargots ($10). The squid was a dark reddish brown, nicely spicy and perfectly cooked. It came on a bed of greens drizzled with some sort of sour cream sauce or aioli and a ramekin of fresh salsa verde. Lots of tentacly pieces along with the rings, which is always a plus for me. My companion pronounced it one of the best calamari dishes she's had. The snails were likewise delicious -- it's probably been five years since I've had escargot, so I have little more than a memory to compare them to, though. The plate came with a ball of puff pastry in the middle sitting atop a small base of cooked spinach, with a moat of lemony pernot cream, studded with red bell pepper here and there. There were snails around the plate swimming in the cream, and the pastry was filled with more escargot and very fragrant wild mushrooms. Every bite was delicious. The snails were tender and succulent and the sauce vibrant and subtly perfumed. Our entrees were no less satisfying. My companion had a hearty, robust plate of cassoulet ($19) -- white bean stew with a rich tomato sauce, topped with a grilled quail and grilled chorizo. The portion was huge and tasty, not the least bit greasy. I had the chicken cheesesteak ($10), which was probably the best "gourmet" cheesesteak of any kind I've tried. Shreds of chicken braised in wine with sauteed wild mushrooms and brie on a nice crusty roll. I had to be very careful not to let the juices run all the way down my elbows. That came with salad and fresh-cut french fries. The beer list tends towards the British isles -- Boddington's, Guinness, Tetley's, John Courage -- with Flying Fish disappointingly the only local micro on tap. But who can complain about a shapely imperial pint of John Courage for $5 to wash down such substantial fare? Not I. Quite highly recommended.

I've been the the El Azteca in Center City a number of times, and while the portions are huge, it doesn't really compare to the Washington Ave places or Las Cazuelas in terms of freshness, taste, and authenticity. I suspect that with Qdoba's arrival, El Azteca isn't even the best cheap Mexican in Center City anymore.

Comparing the Dogfish Head and the Smuttynose, both of which I've had in the past two weeks, I'd have to vote for the Smuttynose, mostly for the subtlety of the spice and the healthy hoppiness. The pumpkin-ness is mostly in the aroma and the taste is not too cloying. Still haven't found the Buffalo Bill's -- anyone know if it's on tap or on the beer list anywhere in Philly?

In case you're interested, here's Sono Motoyama's new review of Angelina in the Daily News. http://ae.philly.com/entertainment/ui/phil...&reviewId=14244

So Katbert, what did you decide on and how was it?

My vote would be for L'Angolo. La Locanda is pretty cute, but I haven't been back since Chef Giuseppe died (mere hours after my fiancee and I had an extraordinary meal there).

According to Michael Klein's "Table Talk" column today, "Bella, which occupied 20th and Lombard Streets for just 13 months, was evicted last week for nonpayment of rent, according to court records. Owner Ali Waks says she's not sure of her future." More info here: http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/living/food/7303514.html

I have had good experiences ordering ingredients and kegging equipment from Midwest Supplies. They seem to know as much about brewing as your local expert/brewshop owner might. They also have free instructional videos that they send with your order and a pretty large catalog. Midwest Supplies I usually like to patronize my local homebrew store since the owner is so cool and is always interesting to hang out with and talk brewing. Sorry that your local shop closed.

I haven't had it in awhile -- I prefer local micro Wits and Belgians, myself -- and apparently it did disappear for a few years after the Texas brewery that made it (owned by a Belgian expatriate brewmaster) got bought out by Miller. The recipe and name have been licensed now by the Michigan Brewing Company and apparently it's still pretty good. I'll have to track some down one of these days.

I do like extremely hoppy India Pale Ales with Indian food (as with just about anything!), but I would have to recommend Belgian-style white ales or "Wits" as they are sometimes called. They often are flavored with coriander seed and curacao bitter orange peel and have citrusy, spicy overtones. They are light and effervescent as well, which is a nice complement to spicy food. Brands I highly recommend are La Chouffe (best. beer. ever.) and Hoegaarden, both from Belgium. Hoegaarden is easier to find, but La Chouffe is worth the hunt. American brands that would work include Celis White, Blue Moon, Victory Whirlwind Wit, or whatever Belgian Wit your local craft berwer/microbrewery puts out.

Out of sight, out of mind I like to concentrate on my beer/food most of the time, unless I go to a bar specifically to watch a game, in which case places with zillions of TVs are great. Sunday afternoons in a place like Cavanaugh's (39th & Sansom) -- time well spent. But usually the lack of TVs at a bar counts on the plus side for me -- hence my enduring S.T./Monk's/Fergie's love. One place that hasn't been mentioned, and which has somewhat atypical "bar food" in addition to wonderful, wonderful beer is Ludwig's Garten (13th & Sansom). Delicious products of the Reinheitsgebot, a coupla wonderful sausages, onion tarts and sauerkraut. Spaetzle. And cute St. Pauli Girl waitress outfits, if you're into that. Edit: addresses added

Actually, Nodding Head does have TVs. Sports are usually on, or at least have been whenever I've been there. Edit: There's no TV at Standard Tap, I can confirm that. They do have scrabble and trivial pursuit, though, and other board games, I think.

I've tried the bar food at a number of the places herbacidal listed -- pretty decent overall. I would add Abbaye (had an interesting "cheesesteak" there that consisted of sliced Chimay-marinated steak and gruyere on a roll; also good mac & cheese) and Tavern on Green (good beer list, good burger, good fries). Standard Tap and Monk's are the places I always find myself returning, though. The chefs at Standard Tap seem to crank up the comfort level in everything they serve -- pork sammich, lamb sammich, duck confit salad, pot pie, boar stew (!!!)... I have not had a bad meal there. Monk's seems a bit less consistent these days (and the prices of mussels have gone up), but the fries are still to die for and the steak frites salad and burgers (the "Ardennes" especially) never disappoint. And needless to say, these places all have great beer.

I'm afraid my palate must be hopelessly naive. I thought my precooked, broiled brats turned out pretty darn good.

Consider me suitably admonished for not getting fresh bratwurst. I'm in Philadelphia, by the way -- haven't noticed a lot of fresh brats around, but then again, maybe I haven't been looking.

I've never cooked bratwurst at home. I got a package of Usinger's cooked brats at the local Trader Joe's, though, and I was wondering how best to prepare them. Unfortunately, I don't have access to a grill. I understand that fresh brats are often simmered and then grilled or panfried, but I hesitate to do this with the precooked brats in fear of overcooking them. Any suggestions would be welcome. I plan to make some German potato salad and serve with Oktoberfest beer.

A night spent in the pubs of Dublin, finished off as they let out with a baguette smeared with butter and a quarter pound of Cambozola cheese from Rasher Byrne's in Temple Bar. This was a twice weekly ritual when I spent a year in university there.

Monk's Ardennes burger. The one with parma ham and Belgian cheese. Guess that'd fit into your midscale category, Katie.

Provolone is one of the standard options at many of Philadelphia's authentic cheesesteak joints. It's whiz, American (the white kind), or provolone. I alternate between getting whiz and provolone... if you're going to go artificial, might as well go with the whiz, I say. If you're at a place that uses sharp aged provolone (like Tony Luke's), go with that, I say. And don't forget to grab some of those pickled hot peppers from the condiment table.

Here is Bobolink's home page: http://www.cowsoutside.com/ From the page: "Friends: we've moved our family to a farm, on the border of New York and New Jersey, to establish herds of grass-fed cows and sheep, and make cheese from the milk. "

I am a recent convert to brining -- I've done 2 roast chickens now, one brined overnight and one brined for four hours or so. My formula has been the standard one you mention. The first bird was definitely saltier than the second, but both tasted wonderful. My question is: in your experience, does adding sugar to the brine help facilitate browning during roasting? It seems plausible that additional sugar in the skin would enhance caramelization. While I've managed to get nice, lightly browned skin on my roast chicken, I have yet to achieve the dark golden, crispy skin I like the best.

Of course, one of the fine characteristics of French-press coffee is the beauty of the apparatus itself at work. A nice French press pot is a thing of great aesthetic value -- Insulated presses are about as sexy as a percolator pot.

That's good to know that they're making some good beer at Independence. It's rare that I actively dislike an IPA or an Irish red ale, but the last few times I've sampled those at Independence, I've been disappointed. Underhopped, slightly stale, and (in the case of the red) almost cloying. I'll be sure to try the porter or Kolsch next time I find myself there. I have to concede that it's a good place to play pool or darts, but it's still not my cup of tea for a conversation-friendly bar.

FYI, Ray's Cafe in Philadelphia's Chinatown neighborhood serves vacuum-brewed coffee. It's a lot of fun to watch -- they have a special setup of gas burners and globe holders right at the bar and you get to watch your coffee magically gurgle around. They offer a wide selection of blends and roasts ranging up to $9 or $10, if I recall correctly, for a cup of Jamaica Blue Mountain. The quality is excellent, but you would have a hard time getting me, a coffee lover and avid home french-presser, to shell out that much on any regular basis for coffee. It's more of an occasional special thing for me. What would I pay for french press coffee? I can easily see splitting a 32 oz. press with a friend for $6.00. I'd pay that. But I don't think you'll get a lot of individuals paying for a 32 oz. press of coffee themselves, since it's very difficult to drink all the coffee oneself before it goes cold. (I know you could decant it into a thermos, but that's adding even more dishes to wash and insulated cups to buy.) I'd pay $3 for a 16 oz. press of coffee, though, and I know Bodum makes presses in that size. I also had a plastic "travel" press once that was 16 oz. and had a neoprene insulating sleeve around it. Don't know whether that would be feasible.